Defining Moments
by Darnez
Summary: ...Emma still thought she was going back. Would now be a good time to tell Emma that she wasn't going anywhere? That she'd be mines forever. That she was my daughter now... The Evil Queen/Regina goes into the "real word" to find a child to keep as her own months after Owen leaves. She stumbles upon 5 year old Emma Swan. Warning! Contains Kidnapping. AU
1. Chapter 1

Regina's POV

 _I couldn't believe Owen got away. He was almost mine. I was so close. I wouldn't accept the failure as my own fault, no it was Graham, he let them get away. I could have had a son. Now, I was back to being lonely, but not for long. I would soon have a child, as the Evil Queen, I knew that if you wanted something, the best thing to do was to take it. That's why I was here, in some random theater, in some random city._

 _I choose the theater because it's dark and every one's attention is placed on the screen, not to mention the fact that the room is filled with children. Somewhere in this room, was a child that would soon be mine._

 _Know, I know what you're thinking, why couldn't I just have my own child? Well, the answer is more complicated than not; foolishly, many years ago, I took a potion which prevents me from ever having children of my own, just to spite my mother. Another option you may be wondering about, 'why don't I just adopt a child?' Well, that wouldn't work either. I don't exist to the outside world. I stay in a place called Storybrooke, it's a small town hidden in Maine, no one can leave, except me, and no one can come in, unless I allow them two. Owen and his father were an exception. There was a breach in my barrier, but it's reinforced now. I won't have that problem again._

 _Sitting in the back of the theater, looking around, I began to search the room. My eyes first landed on a stroller that was parked near the center isle, a sleeping baby was inside, and the mother, was focused on another child at the moment. Her attention solely on cleaning up the spilled juice the little toddler split upon himself. It would be so easy for me to make my way over there, and take the child. Just push the stroller right out of the darkened room. But, alas, I don't wish to have a baby. I'm the mayor, I don't have time to change diapers, or bottle feed, I want a child who can be independent, to a certain extent of course, I also want a child who will depend on me for food, for shelter, for warmth, for love, he or she will never leave, never want to leave._

 _My eyes landed on a little boy next, he was crawling around on the floor, at first I couldn't tell what he was doing, but after a while, I discovered he was eating popcorn off of the floor. I couldn't tell whom he belonged too, he would also be an easy target to get alone, but could I get him out of the room without him kicking and screaming. I doubt it, but I don't want a child whose gross._

 _I begin to look around the room again and sighed. Perhaps this would be harder than expected. Some light enters the room and I glance to the right where the the entrance is located. I smile as I watch a group of children walk into the room. I note a tall woman who seem to be in charge of the bunch, she is whispering rather loudly for them all to hurry up and stay together. The movies already started, they are late._

 _She walks down to the front of the theater close to the screen and the children follow behind. They are all different ages. Some are clearly teens, and I has no interest in a teen. Some are shorter, I assume they are about 12 or 13ish. Some look a bit younger. For some reason I glance back at the door and there stands a little girl, I'm assuming she is with the group, she seems to be the youngest. If I had to guess, I would say 5 or 6 years old._

 _The light from the movie gives me a good view of her face as she glances around inside the theater, I'm grateful our eyes doen't meet, I don't want anyone to know that I am back here. I suppose the little girl is kindof cute. She has shoulder length blonde hair, It doesn't look properly taken care of, her clothes don't necessarily match, and her shoes are well worn. My guess is that she's not into playing dolls or acting like a princess, like many young girls like to do, if her clothes are anything to go by._

 _She's just standing there looking in front of her now in the middle isle, instead of joining the others. I follow her line of vision and I see that she is eyeing a candy bar which is sticking out of a ladies pocket. I watch as she tip toes close and closer to the woman until she's within arms reach. She's hesitant at first, almost as if she is comtiplating taking it or not, finally after what seems like forever to me, but has only been a half a second, she pulls it from the woman's pocket and places it in the jean jacket she's wearing. It doesn't hide the candy very well, not at all actually, but from where I'm sitting, everyone's attention is on the movie._

 _My eyes find the little girl again and surprisingly she's now sitting exactly two rows in front of me. She's simply sitting there. I can barley see her head because she's so tiny. I decide right then and there..._

 _She is going to be my child. If you want something, you take it._


	2. Chapter 2

_I need to sneak this little girl out of the room, but how. I can't take her kicking and screaming, I must use what I know about her, against her. Sure, I know little about her, I don't even know her name. Let's see...She likes candy. Perhaps I can trick her into following me outside, with the promise of more candy. She'd like that, and she'll like me more, once she see that I'll allow her candy, unlike her parent, whose not even paying attention to her._

 _I decide to get up and talk to her, but before I do I see a tall man with a vest on make his way to her first. I almost have to strain my neck to hear what he is saying to her._

 _"Don't" I hear him say as he look down at the little girl._

 _I can't see her face, but I can tell he frightened her by his sudden appearance, she hadn't seen him coming. I saw her jump in her chair a little once his voice registered._

 _"What?" I hear a small voice ask. That's the first time I heard her speak, and she...sounds cute, if that's possible._

 _"I said, Don't" He repeats. Regina suppress an eye roll, because no one can see it anyhow. Is this guy capable of saying more than one word I wonder._

 _"I'm sorry" I hear the little say a little louder this time. I'm grateful, it's kind of hard to hear, with the speakers right behind me, but this is still the best place._

 _The man sigh, I see more than hear his sigh as he sit down next to the child. "Look, I'll let it slide this time...but you're going to have to give me the candy, I will simply tell her that if fell from her jacket pocket alright?" He questions as he holds his had out. I can't really see it, but I can just tell._

 _"Alright" The little one say before she hands it over._

 _"Hey, you know that you can't do that, you can't just take something, just because you want it. Life doesn't work that way" He says. "All actions have consequences whether they are good, or bad, understand?" He adds._

 _I see a nod of a head, and the man pats the little one like she's a dog, then gets up and makes his way to the other side of the room. I know that now is my chance. Now that the little one doesn't have her candy anymore, it should be easier. I stand up and make my way quietly towards her._

* * *

 _When I am on the same row as the little one, I can see the disappointment in her eyes. She's looking down at her hands that are folded in her lap, before making and approach I glance around and see that everyone is still in the movie. Looking at my watch I determine I have 28 minutes before the end of the movie. I walk quickly and when I am near the little one looks up at me, and I give her a smile. I'm slightly startled by those piercing green eyes, and I can't help but want this child._

 _I pull down the seat and sit down next to the little girl._

 _"He's wrong you know" I say to her. "In this world, If you want something, you take it, it's the only way to get your happiness" I add. 'Unless your Snow White, then everything gets handed to you on a silver platter' I think to myself. I see that the little one is now studying me, she hasn't said a word since I sat down. I decide to push a conversation._

 _"What's your name?" I ask quietly to her._

 _"Emma" She says, not in a whisper. I want to shush her, I don't want anyone looking back and see me talking to her. But I don't shush her._

 _"That's a pretty name...Emma" I compliment her, and she gives me a small smile. "I'm Regina" I add._

 _"That's a pretty name" She says, repeating what I said to her._

 _The man from earlier is now on the other side of the room but he shushes towards us. I can't really see his face that well, but I glare at him nonetheless. I need to get the little one - Emma, out of here soon. I turn to her again and ask._

 _"Would you like some candy?"_

 _She looks back up at me and nod her head, but she has a sad look on her face. "I want some" She whispers this time, I am grateful for that. "But I have no money" She adds looking sad, her bottom lip poking out and she looks at her lap._

 _"Hey" I say to her while placing a hand gently on her shoulder. I can't help but smile, I'm so close. "Don't be sad, if you want some candy, I can buy you some, I have money"_

 _Emma looks back up at me. She looks disappointed. "I can't" She says and now it's barely a whisper._

 _I feel myself becoming annoyed, but I take a deep breathe. "Why ever not?" I ask in the softest voice I could manage._

 _"Because, you are not supposed to go with strangers who want to give you candy...stranger danger" She says looking away._

 _"We are not strangers Emma. We know each other, you're Emma, and I'm Regina, besides, we are just going outside the door, and I'm not giving you candy, the person who works behind the counter will give it too you, which makes it okay" I explain to her in a voice that says I know everything._

 _She's quiet now. Most likely thinking back to what I told her. She glances at me with a questioning gaze and I simply smile at her._

 _"Um...Okay" She finally agrees._

 _Inside I'm jumping for joy, but I try not to let her see it, sure I haven't gotten her outside of the movie theater yet, but getting her outside this particular viewing room, is the secondary goal, which is about to be accomplished._

* * *

 ** _To be continued...Do you like it? I hope you do, I got this idea when I was watching the season 5 premiere and I just loved it, so I wrote this, should I continue? Also, Emma in this story is younger than the Emma that was on the show, the Emma on the show looked to be around 8 or something..._**

 ** _Tell me what you thought._**


	3. Come With me

_I felt it, the moment Emma and I walked out of the theater, the rush of Adrenalin. The lingering thought that I could very well get caught, and won't be able to take the little one home with me. Today. I want this child, and I will get this child, no matter how long it takes. Emma's mine now. However, I would like to take her home with me today. It won't be long now before the movie is over, less than 20 minutes actually, which, is not a long time. Soon, the woman who brought Emma here, will be wondering where she ran off to._

 _I had to stop myself from reaching down next to me and taking Emma's hand in mine. I'm so excited. I'll be an excellent mother. I'll have a daughter. Funny, I wasn't even planning on taking home a girl this morning, in my dreams I pictured a little boy. If only Snow had her memories, she'd see me with my new daughter, with the knowledge that she will never be able to see her child, the one she sent through a wardrobe to god knows where._

 _I could tell Emma was excited with the idea of getting candy, she had a bright smile on her face, I caused that smile, and that made me smile. Unfortunately there was a line. Not a very long one, but time was precious. I didn't have long. I decided to talk to Emma some more, I had to talk her into leaving with me._

 _"So, little one" I start. I realize that I had been calling her little one for a while now, even in my head when I'm thinking about her. "Are you here with a group of friends today?"_

 _Emma shakes her head but doesn't add any information, she's currently standing eyeing the candy. I can tell right away that sugar is her weakness, it's both an advantage, and a disadvantage to me. I need her to focus so I ask more questions._

 _"Emma" I say this time. She looks up at me, she's so tiny. "Are you here with your parents dear?" I'm talking to her as if she's one of the peasants._

 _Emma shakes her head again, and I feel like pulling my hair out, I need her to talk to me. Surprisingly after a few seconds she answers with words. "I don't have any parents" She says sadly._

 _"What do you mean?" I ask her._

 _"I'm orphaned, I stay at a group home" She explains. She looks away embarrassed. Suddenly things make sense, and I couldn't be happier. Emma's an orphan so I won't have to worry about taking a child from her parents, not that I care about their discomfort, because I don't. Now, I won't have to worry about a child crying for their parents. Emma don't have any...well, now she does, I'm her mother._

 _I'm about to ask another question, but the line moves up and Emma surprisingly asks me a question. "Do you have kids?"_

 _'I do, you' I think but don't say. "I don't. I would love to have a child of my own, it gets so lonely sometimes, do you ever feel lonely Emma?" I ask her. I want her vulnerable, she's more likely to do what I want her to do._

 _Emma shrugs. Again. "Sometimes"_

 _"I bet you don't like being in the group home, do you, I bet you would like to have a real home, with a mother, wouldn't you?" I ask starring at Emma. I have to remind herself to maintain a warm and kind appeal, it wouldn't do any good for Emma to be afraid of me._

 _"No...I want to get adopted someday" Emma states._

 _"I bet it's pretty boring in the system, huh, little one?" I continue. I want to make her think of all the negatives, I want her to see that going with me, will be fun for her._

 _Emma shrugs once more. It seems like she does that a lot, she's not confident. "Sometimes we do fun things, like on weekends, but not ever weekend because we can't afford it" she explains._

 _"Well, you know what, if I was your mother, you could do fun things all the time" I tell her._

 _"Ma'am, what would you like?" I hear a voice answer that does not belong to Emma. The timing couldn't have been more wrong, it's the woman behind the concessional stand. I wanted Emma to think about my statement, but now she is back to looking at the display case where the candy is._

 _"Emma, what would you like?" I ask her grabbing her attention again._

 _"I don't know" She tells me._

 _"You may have anything that you want"_

 _"Anything?" She asks looking up at me hopeful. I nod and she points to a candy bar, it's bigger than the one she took from that woman earlier._

 _I hear the woman behind the counter sigh. I ignore her and pull out an 20 from my wallet handing it over to her. She takes it from me. I watch as she punch something in the register._

 _"13.50 is your change Ma'am" She states as she hands me my change. I momentarily think to myself that, that candy bar was expensive, but of course I have the money. I have plenty of money._

 _I watch as the candy bar is handed to Emma._

 _"Thank-you" She tells me._

 _"You're welcomed little one"_

 _I look at my watch, the movie will be over in 12 minutes. I need to get Emma out of here, I need to get her out of here now. What should I do now. We've stepped aside to allow the people behind us to move up to the counter. Emma's standing in front of me trying to open the wrapper of the candy bar. Without thinking I hold my hand out._

 _"I can help you with that" I tell her._

 _She hands me the candy and I easily do what she couldn't and pass it back. She smiles at me and takes a big bite._

 _"Do you like it?" I ask her._

 _She nods her head at me. I look around, no one is looking our way, no one suspects anything, if they did, it seems no one cares. The question is, how will I get Emma to leave with me. I bend over and look into Emma's eyes._

 _"Emma, would you like some toys?" I ask her._

 _Her eyes widen for a second and she then she smiles while nodding her head. "Do you have some?" She questions while chewing a small piece of chocolate._

 _"No, I don't" I admit. I don't. "I have none, but we could go to the toy store and I can buy you some" I add._

 _Emma pouts again, how adorable. "I can't. Sister Mary says that I have to stay with the group"_

 _I don't point out the fact that shes already away from the group._

 _"Is sister Mary in charge of the group home where you stay?" I ask her. She nods. "Well, believe it or not, I'm in charge of sister Mary" I tell her._

 _She leans her head to the side as she studies me. "Really?"_

 _It's my turn to nod. "Yes dear, I am, do you know what a mayor is?" I ask._

 _She frowns. "Like a president?" She questions with confusion._

 _"Similar to the president" I tell her. "I'm a mayor, and do you know what mayors do?"_

 _She shakes her head._

 _"Mayors tell other people what to do, I'm in charge of the police, firefights, doctors, Nuns, everyone"_

 _"Wow" Emma says breaking off another piece of chocolate._

 _"Exactly, and since I'm the mayor, I'm in charge of sister Mary, and do you know what that means?" I ask her._

 _"It means that you can tell sister Mary what to do" Emma says with a nod._

 _"That's right little one. You're so smart" I tell her. She smiles brightly at the compliment. "You must be really smart at school huh" I add._

 _"I don't go to school yet, I just turned 5"_

 _"You did, how exciting, when?" I ask her, I could use this information._

 _"Yesterday" She tells me. I frown. Yesterday was the anniversary of my curse, the 5th anniversary to be exact. Perhaps this is just another sign that I should do this. My smile returns._

 _"Well, then we have to go and get you some toys" I tell her. She continues to smile at me. I hold my hand out to her, and she, without a thought places her hand in mine. "Then come on dear" I add and start to walk for the door, but she doesn't move causing me to stop. I look back at her._

 _"I think I should go and tell them I'm going so that they won't worry" She states._

 _"It'll be alright dear, we will just tell...this guy right here, that way, when they look for you, he will tell them that you went with me alright?" I state. I point to a random guy who was messing with his pager and we walk up to him. "We are leaving" I say to him._

 _He looks up at me with a frown laced with confusion and shrugs. "Okay...bye" he states walking away._

 _"See, all set" I tell Emma. "Ready?" I ask her._

 _She smiles at me and together we walk out of the movie theater._


	4. Chapter 4

_I walked hand in hand with Emma out the door. I had to force myself not to look around ever so often to make sure that no one was coming after us. I walked with my head held high, and my daughter right beside me. If anyone glanced my way, I knew that they would see nothing but a confident woman. A confident mother. Finally, outside, away from the darkened theater, the sun shined brightly and I took that as a sign that things would be going my way._

 _I've finally gotten Emma out of the theater, away from the woman that was supposed to be watching her, and to make it even better, Emma's following me willingly with the promise of new toys. I know I should feel bad for tricking a little girl, but I'm doing this for me. In a way, it will benefit her as well. She's no longer an orphan. She's now my daughter. She's mine. She's lucky to have me, and I'm lucky to have her. I wanted a child, and now I have one._

 _I lead Emma towards the parking lot which is on the side of the building, I walk up to my car and stop for a moment to address Emma. Before I can say anything she's speaking._

 _"Is this your car?" She asks. I nod. "It's so cool. I like it" She tells me. I can't help but smile. I take pride in my car. I appreciate the fact that Emma likes it. I take a moment to think of all the moments we will share inside that car. I can imagine taking her to school, taking her to work with me, taking her to the park...in my car. It will be nice. "Can I sit in the front?" She asks me bring me from my thoughts._

 _"I don't see why not" I tell her. I read child parenting books, I know that she's short enough to be sitting in a booster seat in the back, but again, I don't have one. I'll admit I'm unprepared, but it doesn't matter. I'll allow her to sit up front with me. I want her to stay with me. I want her to like me, It will make me being her mother so much easier. After then, I'll establish rules for her._

 _Emma lets go of my hand and races to the passengers door. I unlock the door and we both get into the car. Once inside shes talking once more._

 _"This is so cool. I've never been able to ride up front, only the big kids get to ride in front of the Van" She tells me. Shes looking around at everything in wonder. 'It's just a car' I think but don't say. Instead,_

 _"Little one, I know where a really nice toy store is" I explain to her._

 _"You do?" She asks with an excited smile. I nod._

 _"Yes, in my town, it's called Storybrooke. I made sure that I only had the best...everything" I tell her. " In my town" I add. "Perhaps you would like to go" I suggest. We are going anyway, but it's nice for her to think that she has a choice._

 _"Yeah" She nods._

 _"Alright dear" I say as I start the car. "To storybrooke we go. We are going to have a lot of fun" I tell her and she smiles at me._

* * *

Storybrooke's a little under two hours away. After 30 minutes into the ride, Emma's quiet. I can tell that she's nervous. She looks out of the window with a worried look upon her face. Perhaps the long ride is getting to her. I wonder if she's going to be this quiet all the time. It's quiet in the car therefore I could easily hear a grumbling sound. At first it startled me, but then I realized it was Emma.

"Um...I'm hungry" She tells me. She's not sure if she's allowed to ask me for food, but she don't have any other choice. That fact both saddens and delights me. She needs me. "Can we stop for food please" She asks looking at me.

"Of course little one" I smile at her. "Do you know what you're in the mood for?" I question. I have no plan of getting out of the car, or even allowing Emma to leave the car, I'm sure Emma's been discovered missing by now, luckily, the outside world has drive through.

"Can we go to Mc Donalds?" She asks while pointing to big golden arches in the sky. We both see it off the nearing ramp of the expressway, I signal to get over.


	5. Chapter 5: The First Day

_**Hey, Guys! I know it's been a while since I've updated this story. I had to go back and read what I had written because I couldn't remember all that had happened. Now, please keep in mind during this chapter, it's been five years since the Evil Queen/Regina cast the curse, and she doesn't have Henry to 'tame' her. On a scale of 1 to 10, how evil is she? I'd say a 7.5. Enjoy.**_

* * *

 _Previously..._

 _"Can we go to Mc Donalds?" She asks while pointing to the big golden arches in the sky. We both see it off the nearing ramp of the expressway, I signal to get over._

 _A happy meal._

 _That's what I ordered Emma, and she loved it. I watched out the corner of my eye as she devoured the nuggets, and then the sliced apples, then the small bottle of orange juice that came included._

 _"Look Regina!" She says excitedly to me._

 _'Is it too soon for me to make her call me mom?' I wonder to myself. I look in front of me at the road, to make sure that I can take my eyes off of it for half a second._

 _"What is it little one?" I question._

 _"I got a woody doll!" She says excitedly. I have no idea what she is talking about, but then she pulls a toy out of the brown bag and shows me a little cowboy. It's about 3 inches tall._

 _"That's really...nice" I tell her. She merely smiles at me, and then plays with her new toy._

* * *

 _I smile when I see the 'welcomed to Storybrooke' sign. I look over at Emma, and she's asleep with 'woody' tightly clutched in her hands. I decide not to wake her until we are at the toy store. 3 minutes past the town line and I begin to see all of the peasants going about their day. They do the same thing every day, stuck in repeat. I smile. I used to be like them, not anymore. I have Emma now. 5 minutes later I'm parked in the Mayor's reserved lot in front of the store. I have special parking at every establishment, even if I don't go there._

 _I look over at the still sleeping Emma. "Emma, wake up little one" I gently tap her. "We are at the toy store now."_

 _She doesn't move much. She makes a whining noise before turning further away from my hand and lays her head on the passengers door, drifting back into a deep sleep. I sigh. Perhaps I could skip the toy store for now, and come back later. I back up and head towards my residence._

* * *

 _Emma didn't wake the short ride to my home, and she didn't wake when I picked her up. When I carried her up the stairs. When I took her shoes off. Nor did she wake when I placed her on the bed and tucked her in. I bit my lip. What should I do first? What do I do when she wakes? Perhaps I hadn't thought about this as much as I should, at least, I have her now, and she's never leaving me._

* * *

 _I decided it would be best if I started in Dinner. I made my world famous lasagne. It was the first dish I perfected in this new world, and I was proud of it. The only person I have ever shared it with was the Sheriff. And now, Emma would get some of it too._

 _The oven beeped, and I put on the oven gloves to take the dish out. Sitting it on top of the stove, I was slightly startled when I heard a small voice behind me._

 _"Regina"_

 _It was Emma, and it came out in almost a whisper. I turned to look at her, and could see immediatly that she was crying._

 _"Why are you crying little one?" I questioned her._

 _Emma bit her lip and looked down. She was so tiny that the action looked adorable when she did it. "I did something bad" She admitted._

 _That caught my attention. She'd just gotten here. What could she have done_ bad _? "What did you do?"_

 _"I woke up...and I got scared...I.." Emma cried trying to get her words out._

 _"What did you do?" I asked again wanting her to answer me. I was more curious than anything._

 _"I wet...the bed..." She pouted while looking up at me, tears still running down her face._

 _I gasped. Emma reminded me of when I was a child and wet the bed. Mother wasn't happy. I remembered the punishment I received from her. She was always so cold, heartless. I couldn't be the same with Emma. If anything, I'd learn from my mother's mistakes. I'll still have to punish Emma, but I'll comfort her after. But...this time..._

 _"Don't cry dear. I suppose it's my fault. You had no idea where you were or where the bathrooms are. Come, we will get you cleaned up, and then I will give you a tour around the house" I walked to where Emma stood and held out my hand out for her. She looked at me, and then my hand before slowly taking it._

* * *

 _I couldn't be bothered with Emma's soiled clothes, nor the bed sheets so I called the cleaner Joanna to come and take care of them. Usually, I disliked the older woman in my presence, so she only cleaned when I was away. Now that Emma is here, I suppose she would be around more._

 _I bathed Emma. I guess she could have bathed herself, I didn't ask. She's five right, how independent is a_ five-year-old _?_

 _Emma seemed to have fun in the bath while I bathed her, she played with the bubbles. My body wash was not meant to be bubble bath, but it was all I had. I was unprepared._

 _I dressed Emma in one of my dress shirts, the royal blue,_ buttoned-down _one with the collar. It was large on her; I tied a black scarf around her waist. It resembled a dress. I sighed. This will have to do for now._

 _"Where are my clothes?" Emma questioned as she stood in front of me. We were in my room, and I sat on my bed. I opened my mouth to tell her I was going to have them thrown away, but she spoke before I had a chance. "I think that Sister Mary will be upset when she finds out that I wet my clothes. I have to share them with the other kids..." Emma explained._

 _I sighed. Emma still thought she was going back. Would now be a good time to tell Emma that she wasn't going anywhere? That she'd be mines forever. That she was my daughter now. I opened my mouth again, but I heard the front door open from down below._

 _I stood from the bed and walked out of my room, Emma followed behind me. As we_ descended _the stairs, Joanna's eyes met mine. "Hello Madam Mayor" She greeted._

 _"Hello. I'd like for you to clean the first guest room upstairs. It seems as if my little one has had an accident" I explain and look down beside me at Emma who is looking embarrassed. "Also, please get rid of the clothes on the floor in my bathroom" Emma perked up at that._

 _"No, you can't. I have to take those clothes back; sister Mary will-"_

 _"Enough," I say, It came out harsher than I intended. I looked down at Emma, she stopped talking and is now looking up at me expectantly. I begin to explain. "You don't have to worry about Sister Mary anymore Emma"_

 _"What do you mean?" She questions. She then looks up at Joanna whose approaching the stairs, attempting to walk past us. Emma moves close to me. I can't tell if it's because she's trying to make room for her, or if she is afraid of her...the whole stranger danger conversation coming back to my mind._

 _"Oh, hello._ Well _, aren't you just the cutest thing? I'm Joanna" Joanna politely greets. "And you are?" She asks Emma._

 _Emma slides closer to me and whispers. "Emma"_

 _"Speak up dear, she can't hear you" I instruct._

 _"_ Emma _" She says louder._

 _"That's a lovely name. It suits you" Joanna states. "You must be new- " She starts but I cut her off._

 _"Miss Lewis. I called you here to clean up my home. Not socialize. Please do you job and nothing more" I say harshly while making my way towards the kitchen. Emma stands there for a moment before following me._

 _"Of course Madam Mayor," I hear Joanna say from behind me._

* * *

 _"We are going to eat dinner first, and then, we will go out" I tell Emma as I place her plate in front of her._

 _"This is really fancy...like in the magazines," She tells me. I'm a bit confused at first about what she's talking about, and then I realize that she must mean how the table is set. I shake my head._

 _"This is how you set a_ table _, Emma. You set the table accordingly for_ every _meal" I explain. "I hope you like_ Lasagne _" I tell her._

 _She shrugged. "I haven't had it before."_

 _"Well, there's a first time for everything" I tell her with a smile. She smiles back at me, and we both eat dinner in silence. Emma's the first to finish. She ate quickly._

 _"That was really yummy. It reminds me of spaghetti" She tells me. I look up to smile at her, about to thank her for the compliment, but before I do, I notice a large stain on her- my shirt. My very expensive shirt. I should have taught her how to tuck her napkin, I wasn't thinking, and now my shirt is ruined. I take a deep breathe trying to calm my nerves. I wanted a child, and now I have one. This is what being a mother is all about, taking care of someone else, and preparing them to be the best them, you know they can be._

 _I decided to relax a moment, before taking some soapy water to clean the stain off. It's still there, but only apparent if you're looking hard enough. No one will notice. I need to get Emma her own things. I don't want her ruining mines._

* * *

 _Dinners over. Emma's all cleaned up, and we are at the children's store. We walk in together, hand and hand and I couldn't be happier. I felt happy. I had Emma. She was mine...she didn't even know it yet, but she was._

 _"Regina, are we getting toys now?" She questions me excitedly as she walks with me down an isle._

 _"Yes, but only if_ you're perfectly behaved while I get you some things." I tell her _._

 _"What kind of things?" She questions._

 _I see a change in her when we were at the movie theather, it was hard for me to get more than one-word responses, but now, she talks as if we are friends._

 _"Well, a car seat for you..." I begin to list off the shopping list in my had I had made since Emma has been in my presence._

 _"I don't need a_ car seat _" She tell me._

 _"Yes you do, and you're not supposed to ride in the front seat, it's not safe" I explain to her. Just to get that out there._

 _"And then we can get toys?" She questions._

 _"Then we will get clothes, you need outfits, you need pajamas, you need-"_

 _"But Regina" She whines. "You can't buy me that stuff. I'd have to share it with the other kids" she argues. I stop, and turn to her while bending down to be at her level._

 _"Emma, listen to me. You're not going back. You're staying with me" I say with a smile._

 _"I'm...not going back?" She questions. I shake my head No._

 _"But...I have to" She whines, and my smile falls. I feel myself becoming angry. I'm not going to lose another child. I lost Owen. I'm not losing Emma! I think to myself. I needed to calm down. I breathe deeply before responding._

 _"No Emma. You're staying with me. I'm going to be your mother now" I tell her in a hushed tone so that only she can hear._

 _"But-" She whines._

 _"No buts. You're mine" I tell her, but it sounds like a threat. I cringed when I heard it last my lips. Emma's starting to pout and cry now._

 _"My...my blanket...I need my blanket" Emma's crying loudly now. There is no one else in the store besides Emma and_ I _, and_ of course, _the_ cashier _that's in the front of the store._

 _"Emma stop it. Stop crying" I tell her. Even though the store is empty, I don't want the cashier to hear any of this._

 _"But I want...n-need..." She's trying to get her words out through her tears. I don't understand what the big deal is. Why is she crying over a stupid blanket?_

 _"Stop crying. I'll buy you another blanket" I tell her in a firm voice._

 _"I don't want another blanket...I want my blanket, my baby blanket..." She manages to get out because she's yelling. "I have to go back" The yelling continues. I realize now that she's throwing what the parenting book calls a tantrum._

 _"Emma, if you don't stop and calm down, you're going to be in big trouble, now, you're_ embarrassing _me so pull it together" I instruct. This is her first day with me. This is not how I wanted it to go._

 _"But...my parents gave me that...my real parents...I have to keep it" She's crying harder._

 _"You mean the parents that didn't want you?" I question her. I know, I know, its kindof a mean thing to say to a 5-year-old, but I don't care. I'm Emma's parent now. "I'm your mother now. They didn't want you, but I do, so stop crying over a blanket. NOW!" I demand. I thought she'd stop crying, but she didn't, she just got louder. I couldn't see myself stopping this tantrum anytime soon, so I picked her up and carried her out of the store._

* * *

 _There were things I still needed to get for Emma, so instead of going back to my home, I went to the sheriff's station instead. It was only three doors down. When I walked in, I noticed Graham standing in front of a cell talking to the town drunk, Leroy. I didn't spare him a second glance and directed my attention to Graham; I had to speak loudly because Emma was still crying with her face buried in my neck._

 _"Graham, I need you to watch my daughter" I demand._

 _"Your daughter?" He questions._

 _"Yes. My daughter" I confirm in a harsh tone. The disbelief written all over his face is starting to anger me. "I need to pick up some things for her, and I can't do that with her behaving the way she is now" I explain. I walk over to Grahams desk and pry her arms from around my neck and sit her in the seat. "Emma, listen to me. I want you to sit right here, and don't move until I come back, understand?" I ask her._

 _"No, I-" She starts standing up and rushes towards me._

 _"Emma, when I tell you to do something, do it. Best to learn that now" I explain. I pick her up and put her back in the chair._

 _"Please don't leave me" She whines, she's not screaming anymore, but she's still crying. She's looking around the room at the two men whose by the cells. She pulls her knees up to her chest. She's scared; I can tell. I want to take her with me, and try shopping again with her, but perhaps this experience will teach her to behave in public as I instructed her to._

 _"I would have taken you with me Emma, but you were a naughty girl. Now you must stay here with Graham. I'll be back in 30 minutes. I expect a positive report about you when I return" I say. Emma's pouting, and crying, and it feels like she's melting my heart. I know I need to leave before I give in. I turn away and walk towards the door. Before I'm even out the door all the way, I hear Emma crying loudly again._

* * *

 _ **Welp. That's that guys...Regina was harsh wasn't she? Should I continue, is anyone even reading this still?**_


	6. Chapter 6: Forever and Ever?

_**Thanks for all the responses! I appreciated them all. Please Enjoy!**_

* * *

 _I told Emma that I would be back in 30 minutes, and I tried to keep that promise, but I couldn't. It was just so many things I needed for my little girl. She's my little girl, and I'll give her the world._

 _I had the cashier place everything that I brought in my trunk, and there was so much stuff that she had to put some of the things in the back seat with the black and purple trim car seat I bought for Emma. It was already installed and ready for use. When an hour hit, I made my way to the station excited to see Emma again. Hopefully by now, she'd calmed down some._

 _I entered the station and looked around. I was looking for Emma, but I did not see her. The only person I saw was Leroy, who was laying down in the holding cell. "Where's my daughter?" I demanded. He jumped up. I think I startled him._

 _"Madam Mayor...Um..."_

 _"Answer me!" I barked._

 _"Across the street, Grannies" He pointed out the door as he spoke quickly. I turned around and marched out the door without saying goodbye._

* * *

 _I entered Grannies and made my way over to the breakfast bar where I saw the small blonde and the sheirff._

 _"Sheriff Graham" I called when I was near._

 _"Hello Madam Mayor" Graham greeted. He looked down at the floor before meeting my glare again. "I just brought Emma over for some ice-cream" He stated. I looked from him, down to Emma. Even though I looked at Emma, I spoke to Graham. "I told you to watch my daughter in the station, not take her out for ice-cream."_

 _"Well, she was just so upset-" He started but I cut him off._

 _"She was being punished" I glared at him. I was angry about being disobeyed, Emma was looking up at me with wide eyes as she watched me yell at Graham. I took the ice-cream out of her hands, and she started to whine but then I glared at her, and I couldn't believe it when she crossed her arms, pouted, then tried to match my glare._

 _"I'm sorry Madam Mayor, it won't happen again" He states. But he doesn't mean it. I can tell. I shove the ice-cream at him and grab Emma's hand, she jumps off of the bar stool and follows me to the door._

* * *

 _The short walk back to my car was silent. Emma was still sulking. She'd get over it soon enough, though. I opened the back door for her, and she looked up at the car seat._

 _"Is that mine?" She questions._

 _"It is"_

 _"But that's for babies, I'm not a baby" She whines._

 _"Oh, you're not. I couldn't tell, with the way you was throwing a temper tandrum in the store" I couldn't help but point out. Emma looks away from me and is silent. I sigh. I'm supposed to be getting her to like me. Not hate me. "Look, little one. This car seat is not for babies; it's for big girls. And every child your age, or height, has to ride in one. I would know. I made the rules" I state. "But...there's something special about this one," I tell her._

 _"What?" She questions,_ interest _written all over her face._

 _"Get in and I'll show you" She does as she's told and I take that opportunity to buckle her in. "Alright, you see this button right here?" I ask her pointing to a button on the armrest of the seat. She nods. "Well, push it and see what happens" I urge. She does and the button release a table that slowly makes its way in front of her._

 _"That's...cool" She smiles. I smile too. "What about this button. What does this one do?" She points to the second one._

 _"I don't know...you'll just have to push it and see."_

 _She does, and that button releases a secret compartment on the side filled with coloring pencils and coloring books. "Wow!" She smiles happily._

 _"Do you like it?" I ask her. I hope she does. It cost a lot of money, and she's going to have to sit in it._

 _Emma nods. "I like it" She answers._

 _"Good girl, now we can go home," I say as I begin to close the door. When I'm in the driver's seat, I hear Emma speak again._

 _"Regina"_

 _She's whispering again. "You know, you're my daughter now. You can call me Mom" I tell her, and I'm hoping that she would._

 _"I don't want to go to your house" She tells me._

 _"Our house Emma, it's our house"_ I can _'t help but feel the rejection of her words. Why don't she want to stay with me? "And why don't you wish to go home?" I question while starting the car._

 _"I want my blanket" She whines. "I need it...can we go and get it, please?" She begs._

 _I sigh. "Emma" I look at her in the backseat. "I'm sorry little one, but your blanket is gone. You're going to have to let it go."_

 _As I suspected, that comment started the water works again._

 _I didn't know how to stop Emma from crying, and I tried. I tried talking to her calmly, I tried threatening her with punishment, I attempted to bribe her. Nothing worked. I called Dr. Hopper and made an appointment with him for Emma the next morning. Finally, after what seemed like forever, but was only about 5 minutes, Emma cried herself to sleep. It saddened me, yet I was kind of relieved._

* * *

 _I carried Emma into the house, changed her into some pajamas and placed her in the bed that was now hers as soon as I got home. I'd have to get Joanna to put away her things I brought for her in the morning while Emma and I were away for Emma's appointment._

* * *

 _The next morning I sat on Emma's bed and looked down at her. She was sleeping so peacefully and slept through the night. I would know. I stayed awake for a while, just staring at her. It was 7 am, and Emma's appointment was in 30 minutes, I was already dressed, but Emma was not._

 _"Emma, it's time to wake up little one" I shook her gently trying to wake her. She whined not wanting to wake up, but I kept at it until her eyes opened. Green eyes meeting mine._

 _"Regina" She whispered in a groggy voice._

 _'Mom' I wanted to correct her but did not. Maybe Hopper could fix that too. "It's time to wake up. We have somewhere to be this morning, there's someone I want you to meet, then we will go to Grannies for breakfast" I explained. I held up one of the dresses I had brought her yesterday. It was a dark blue polo dress. I thought it was utterly adorable, and I just knew Emma would look great in it. "Let's get changed and ready to go hmmm?"_

* * *

 _"Hello, Emma, I'm Dr. Hopper"_

 _Emma sat beside me and hid her head behind my back not wanting to talk to him._

 _"Emma, Dr. Hopper is a nice man, say hello" I urged her on with a kind voice._

 _Emma peeked at him , said hello before hiding again._

 _"Emma, do you like dogs?" He questioned._

 _Emma looked back at him and nodded._

 _"I have a dog"_

 _"You do?" Emma questioned._

 _"Yes, his name is Pongo, would you like to meet him?"_

 _Emma smiled and nodded. Hopper stood from his spot and walked over to a closed door in his office, opening it Pongo the dog rushed out excitedly. Emma jumped down from the couch near me to pet the dog. "Hi doggy" She petted him and then he licked her, I cringed, but she giggled._

 _While Emma was distracted with the dog, Dr. Hopper sat in his seat before speaking again._

 _"So...Emma, I hear that Madam Mayor has adopted you"_

 _Emma was silent._

 _"What do you think about that?" He questioned._

 _Emma eyes widened and she looked at me. "You have?"_

 _I nod. "I told you that I was your Mother now. And you're my daughter" I explain._

 _",Oh" Emma stated before looking back down at Pongo who know sat beside her wagging his tail._

 _"Emma, did you not know that Regina adopted you?" He questioned._

 _Emma shook her head. "I thought she took me...without permission" She admits not looking up at me. A gasp threatens to escape my throat, but I don't let it. Emma's too young to realize that she was kidnapped._

 _"Why do you think that Emma?" Dr. Hopper questions. This therapy session is starting to back fire quickly. I just wanted the shrink to stop Emma from wanting that stupid blanket._

 _"Because...I've had 4 different Mommy's and Daddy's so far, and everytime I get a new one, my social worker would tell me about them, and I would get to meet them first, then they would ask me if I wanted to go home with them" Emma explains quietly, eyes on Pongo._

 _I clear my throat. I'm not worried about the information Emma just gave to Dr. Hopper. It matters not. There is nothing anyone can do to take my daughter away from me, this is my town, my curse, and everyone will do what I say. Nothing more. "Dr. Hopper. I assume you remembered our conversation last night?" I question him with a stern glare._

 _"Of course" He states_ unconfortable _._

 _"Um...Emma" He starts nervously. "Can you tell me about your baby blanket?" He questions. He looks up at me, and I nod. He's back on task._

 _"Why?" She questions. I'm surprised by her response._

 _"Well, I hear that it means_ alot _to you, and that you're attached to it" He explains. "Why do it mean so much to you?"_

 _"My real parents gave it to me...and it has my name on it"_

 _"Where is the blanket now?"_

 _"Back at the group home. I miss it a lot. I want it" She admits._

 _"How does not having your blanket makes you feel?" He asks._

 _"It makes me sad..."_

 _"Why?"_

 _"Because...it's mines. It's the only thing_ that's _mine and no one else's" Emma says in an annoyed tone._

* * *

 _After the session, I asked Emma to sit outside the door while I talked to Dr. Hopper._

 _"What do you suggest I do?" I question him._

 _"Well..." He sighs. "The easiest thing for you to do is get that blanket back. If you did, it would be really good for your relationship with her. She'll see you as an hero for returning something that means so much to her"_

 _I don't even think about what he said. It's impossible for me to retrieve Emma's blanket. What am I to do, go to the group home and say, Hey, you know that little girl, Emma that went missing? Well, she left a blanket here, and I need it..._

 _yeah, because that will go well._

 _"That isn't an option" I snapped at him._

 _"Of course...well, the blanket is special to Emma because it's the only constant thing in her life. Everything else around her changes, Except that blanket. It brings her confront. It's familiar. It's irreplaceable to her, so you need to show Emma that she's irreplaceable to you"_

* * *

 _I ordered breakfast for Emma and I. I know I told her we would eat there, but I needed to put a filter on that child. There was nothing that anyone could do to take Emma away from me, but I didn't want her going around telling people that I 'took her without permission.'_

 _Since I had to work anyway, I took her with me to my office._

 _"This is where I work. Since you don't start school until next year, you will accompany me here" I explain to her._

 _Emma looked around my office before taking a seat in front of my desk to eat her food._

 _"Emma, I need to talk to you about something you said earlier...about me taking you"_

 _Emma looked up at me and nodded._

 _How should I say this in a way that a five-year-old can understand? "You cannot go around telling people that"_

 _"Why?" She questioned._

 _"Because, someone could attempt to take you away from me, and you don't want that do you?" I asked. She thought about it for a moment before shaking her head. "I would like it if you'd be my daughter Emma. Forever" I tell her._

 _"Forever and ever?"_

 _I smiled. "Yes...what do you say? Want to be my daughter?" I asked hopefully. "Forever and ever?" It didn't matter if she said no, she's always mine, but I wanted her to want me, just as much as I wanted her._

 _"Okay" She shrugged like it was no big deal before going back to her plate._

 _'what, that's it?' I questioned myself. Just okay? I didn't understand why she wasn't excited about getting a new home._

* * *

 ** _So...that's it guys! Please, please, please review :)_**


	7. Chapter 7

_**Not an update...**_

 _Hey guys,_

 _I've been receiving emails about when the next update will be for many of my stories._

 _I know it's been a while since I've updated. I'm not abandoning the stories, I'm just not able to write as much right now. I'm currently in nursing school, but I have a week long break coming in between terms in the middle of June. I'm going to work on the stories during that week, and write enough material to last throughout my next term, that way you guys can have constant updates._

 _Any way, until then :)_


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